Uppeldi og menntun - 01.09.2004, Qupperneq 148

HUGMYNDIR UM FLUTNING MENNTUNAR ...
ABSTRACT
This article is based on the first part of a research study examining the upgrading of
teacher education for Icelandic elementary teachers to university level. In 1971 the
former Teacher Training College became the Iceland University of Education. This
upgrading is an example of a wide international phenomenon often referred to as the
academic drift. The study was carried out from 1997 to 2001. An analysis of written
documents was done and interviews were taken with ten key persons. The research
process and main results of the study are discussed in the article. The upgrading
process is seen as a complex combination of discussions, negotiations and actions
between the various stakeholders. The stakeholders' interests were explored by
analyzing their arguments for and against the upgrading. Two kinds of arguments
were investigated; arguments that stated the need for elementary school teachers to
have abstract special knowledge and arguments referring to the status of elementary
school teachers. Four groups of stakeholders were identified; the state, The
University of Iceland and the aspiring university, The Association of Elementary
School Teachers and other teacher associations, and finally, student teachers. The
main results of the study show that arguments referring to the status of elementary
school teacher were most frequent while arguments referring to the necessity of
abstract specialized knowledge were few and unclear. The analysis also revealed a
third type of argument, i.e. system arguments which referred to the context of the
upgrading such as the position of the educational system and the education of
elementary school teachers at that time. The upgrading of the education did not lead
to increased qualification or increased salary for elementary school teachers. The up-
grading led, however, to increased status for teacher educators. They received
university titles and professors, associate professors and assistant professors received
research duties as part of their contracts.
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